The 12 Startups Using Tech toTackle Europe’s Refugee Crisis

By Pauline Bock

The arrival of more than one
million Syrian and Afghan refugees
in Europe in 2015 was part of the
worst migration crisis since World
War II, as estimated by the United
Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees. Refugees’ lives are
completely disoriented, says Joanne
Liu, president of Doctors Without
Borders, as they lack such basics as
food, shelter, water, and Internet
connectivity, unable to contact
their scattered families. Some tech
startups have provided them bank
accounts, housing, and employment
referrals. Helpful startups include
GeeCycle, which provides used
smartphones and free Wi-Fi points;

Refugees on Rails, which helps
refugees learn to code; Funzi, which
supplies a learning package to teach
regufees about the legal system and
the language of host countries, all
things crucial to survival. The article
describes 12 such tech startups doing
an exceptional job at sustaining the
lives of refugees.

http://www.wired.co.uk/article/tech-startups-refugee-crisis

FURTHER READING

Computers as Tutors:Solving the Crisis in Education

Frederick Bennett, Faben (1999)

Due to increasing numbers of online
users, online education is a growth
area in the U.S. economy. Bennett’s
book covers topics related to the use
and implementation of computers
in education, emphasizing social
issues relevant to the teaching sector
in the U.S. Bennett claims computers
are the solution for a customized
learning flow, not only for displaying
educational material and evaluating
its retention by students but also
for analyzing and identifying where
students might be struggling to
absorb it.

Social Media, Crisis Communication,
and Emergency Management:
Leveraging Web 2.0 Technologies
Connie M. White, CRC Press (2011)
White’s book helps prepare crisis-management experts to use social
media to improve their response
and planning during times of need.
It offers rules and safety guidelines
social media can use in a range of
crisis applications. It also offers
methods for improving information
management and reducing
information overload, as well as
courses that can be followed by both
undergraduates and graduates.

OTHER RESOURCES

Increasing Water Conservationwith HydroPoint –Annual Report 2014 AT&T

HydroPoint and AT&T are
collaborating on water conservation.
HydroPoint’s irrigation controllers use
AT&T technology to help track weather
conditions and improve water use.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4Y
sPi2rBx0&feature=youtu.be

Some people face their own personal
crises, suffering depression and
recurrent suicidal thoughts. Nancy
Lublin is an entrepreneur and
philanthropist whose latest venture is
Crisis Text Line, a free helpline in the
U.S. with round-the-clock availability
for people under stress and in need
of guidance. Young people love to
text, and Crisis Text Line helps them
text as a way through difficult times.

Professional counselors provide
resources and advice to those in need,
through text.
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=AyDY2y8sFCQ

Lebanon: A Tiny Computer Helps
Syrian Refugees Learn | UNICEF
Over the six-plus years of the Syrian
civil war, many of the country’s three
million displaced children have been
out of school. James Cranwell-Ward,
a UNICEF technologist, proposes a
solution—the Raspberry Pi—that is
inexpensive and physically small and
lightweight.
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=b21rhKrfq70

USEFUL APP

Thrivo is an application helping
reframe the public discussion
about mental health and therapy,
emphasizing life goals, rather than
mental illness, especially before
people reach their personal breaking
point.
http://thrivo.uk/

WEBSITE

Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team
The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap
Team (HOT) is a relief organization
that uses online maps to reach people
in crises. The maps are free and
up-to-date, helping users respond to
political crises and natural disasters.
HOT uses collaborative maps to
enlist volunteers who put vulnerable
places on the map so responders
can identify and aid those in need.
The HO T website says approximately
3,500 volunteers have collaborated
to make 12 million map-related
modifications on behalf of almost

7. 5 million suffering people. It
also trains non-governmental
organizations and volunteers through
workshops on the tools of geographic
information systems and open source
mapping. HO T partners with various
organizations and governments
on projects to get the most out of
mapping and geographic data to help
people in need.
https://hotosm.org/